By the numbers Scholarship Night
$200,950
The amount of scholarship money given away
3-4
Total number of months high school secertary Laura Sobieski spends organizing scholarship night 5 Groups that have been giving scholarships yearly since 1976
The annual Senior Scholarship Night was held on May 15. $200,950 of community scholarships was given away to 51 students. High school secretary Laura Sobieski coordinates the program and has been involved with it since 2001.
“There are many types of scholarships that we present at our program. Some scholarships are from outside organizations that use their own applications, criteria, etc. We have the BCSC (Berlin Community Scholarship Corporation) that presents scholarships. These two groups manage the scholarships on their own,” Sobieski said. “Then we have the Berlin High School senior scholarships and those include scholarships that have been endowed or bequeathed to the BASD as well as from donors, clubs, organizations, and families.”
The seniors who win these scholarships use them in a variety of different ways to help them achieve their goals. Some will use the scholarships won to further their education while others will use them to enter a trade.
“I will be using the scholarships I won for elementary education at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse,” senior Maddie Coats, who won $17,000 in total, said.
While some scholarships were available for every student who applied, there were many that were created to be given to a specific type of student, like one who is a student
athlete or a student who is going to pursue education.
“I won scholarships specifically for agriculture and I’m going to UWRiver Falls for ag,” senior Layten Sobieski, who won a total of $10,250, said.
To apply for scholarships there is one online application for both the school and community scholarships.
“(The application) comes out in March to the whole senior class. You fill out this big application, write a short little essay about yourself, and boom,” senior Kate Femali, who won $10,750 in total, said.
While the process is very simple for the seniors, it can be a laborintensive process for the ones who put it all together.
“I work on this for approximately three to four months. I start in February by contacting scholarship donors,” Laura said. “In March, the senior class has the opportunity to complete the Berlin High School Senior Scholarship application. In April, the scholarship committees and scholarship donors review the applications and start making their choices. In early May we have our final scholarship selection. Then I start putting the program together
for the middle of May.”
For a small community, Berlin offers a large number of scholarships.
“We are very fortunate to have a strong alumni association, along with very generous organizations that feel strongly about our graduating seniors and providing financial assistance in the way of scholarships,” Laura said.
As for the seniors, there was a general feeling of gratitude and accomplishment in the auditorium.
“Thank you to the community for the awesome support they provide for all of us,” Layten said.
$12,000
Dale and Marion
Norstrant trust is the largest scholarship
51
The number of students that applied for scholarships 2-3
Scholarships that go unclaimed each year
Source: High School
Secretary Laura Sobieski
The class of ‘24 covaledictorians and salutatorian will deliver speeches at the graduation ceremony on Friday evening.
Seniors Macey Rilling and Camille Bruce-DeMuri are tied for valedictorian. Senior Alexandra Budde is salutatorian.
As co-valedictorians, Rilling and Bruce-DeMuri will speak about the future and Budde as salutatorian will give a speech about the past.
“My speech is going to be about the memories and achievements our class shared as a whole. It’s also going to
have some advice,” Budde said.
Bruce-DeMuri and Rilling are giving their speeches together.
These positions are given to the people that maintain the highest GPA throughout their high school career.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t go into it for the title. My goals for high school were to finish with all A’s and to take a lot of honors classes to set myself up well for college. When I found out junior year that I was at the top of the class, I was driven to work harder,” Budde said.
Rilling said that she took as many honors classes as possible to boost her GPA. She also had a simple strategy to maintain her
grades.
“Never procrastinate on your work and use your class time to complete your work,” Rilling said.
Maintaining a high GPA takes a lot of hard work. The highest GPA students can graduate with is a 4.0 and the lowest is 1.0.
“Maintaining a high GPA took a lot of dedication. I had to have a lot of willpower to keep pushing myself when my workload became more and more,” BruceDeMuri said.
Keeping a high GPA throughout high school can seem challenging, but Budde’s advice to the younger grades is to work hard to set themselves
up for the future. She says the assignments that seem miserable or boring now will pay off in the end.
Bruce-DeMuri says she encourages students to get involved.
“The advice I would give to my classmates is to enjoy the bits of high school we have left. This is such a special time and we should cherish it. The advice I would give to the classes below me is to stay involved. It is so important to broaden your horizons as much as you can in high school. Some of my best memories came from my extracurriculars,” Bruce-DeMuri said.
Fox Valley
Technical College
Kimberly Cobos-Lara
Esiah Galindo
Mackenzie Helmuth
Wyatt Klick
November Mankowski
Lucy Marks
Reese Nowicki
Alexis Reabe
Bryan Romero
Delilah Rubio
Alyson Schoppenhorst
Gwyneth Spence
Allie Thull
Angel Torres
Evelynn Vera
UW-Oshkosh
Emma Boegh
Annelise Dahnke
Alivia Davey
Victor Duket
Josie Farmer
Robert Gropp Parker Hess
Aaliyah Mosman
Brianna Pacurar
Deacon Vang
Ximena Vera
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Trevor Henke
Senior Annelise Dahnke is planning to pursue a unique career path in film and radio when she graduates from high school. She plans to attend UW-Oshkosh to attain a bachelor’s degree for RTF, or radio, television, and film.
McCormick Reporter about,” Annelise’s mom, Karissa Dahnke, said. “Her extended family is always around to support her. We have long discussions about life, stories, and how everyone has different perspectives and viewpoints. We’re very excited to see where her career path takes her.”
“I’m pretty excited because I grew up in a very nerdy household surrounded by lots of media, and I would like to leave my mark on this world,” Dahnke said. “I’m going to go get a bachelor’s degree for RTF. It really gives you a sense of the media industry and prepares you to be a screenwriter, producer, pretty much anything you want to do.”
From a young age Dahnke was surrounded by creativity. Both of her parents pursued creative paths (game design and photography) and have encouraged Dahnke to follow what her heart desires.
“We are proud of Annelise as she moves into adulthood. She’s able to make her own decisions and pursue those things that she’s passionate
Her parents have also shown support by attending Annelise’s art shows and encouraging her to sell her work. Annelise’s parents have not been the only ones to support her artistic endeavors, though. Senior Violet Daubner has helped to bring even more support to Annelise’s unique career path.
“She does a LOT, and I think one of the best things about her is her motivation and organization,” Daubner said. “As a very disorganized person I find it very intriguing because I’m not that organized. She’s just very take charge. She sells a lot of commissioned artwork and does glass work which is pretty cool. She does a lot and she knows what to do with it.”
Aside from her peers and family, Annelise has gained support from her coworkers at the Boys and Girls Club.
“The sky is the limit for her,” graduation specialist Eydie Reiser said. “Not only is she talented, she’s driven and faithful to what she does. She’s going to be able to do whatever she wants to do. I continue to ask her questions and challenge her, not in a ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ kind of way but challenge her in an ‘okay, what are you going to do next’ way. I try to feed the hopes and dreams that are already there.”
With the support surrounding Annelise she says she is excited to move onto the next stage of her life and go into a creative career that could seem daunting to some. She has already started to prepare for her future by starting her own business and selling her artwork.
“For the craft fair she sells Perler beads, rubber band bracelets, stained glass, digital art, snuffle mats, and other dog toys,” Annelise’s father, Alex Dahnke, said. “She has been in art shows, applied for Fan Expo Chicago as an artist, and was the youngest member of the Oshkosh Photography Club. She was even on the WFRV (CBS 5) morning show as part
Senior Annelise Dahnke works on some of her art in the summer sun. She is planning to attend college at UW-Oshkosh for RTF (radio, television, and film). “I’ve always been interested in media, but I didn’t realize it was an actual path until April at Titan Takeoff Day last year,” Dahnke said.
Photo: Karissa Dahnkeof the family craft fair business, and has recently started her own small business, Undercover Nerd Aesthetics.”
One worry that Annelise has going into a creative career is the rise of AI and its impact on the creative industry as a
whole.
“I’m hoping RTF remains a thing, but newer AI is starting to get really smart with this, too,” Annelise said. “I don’t think it’ll be able to replace the human aspect that comes with these creations, though.”
Senior Gwyn Spence recovered from multiple surgeries and moved across the country in the middle of her high school career. When she was a sophomore, Spence moved from Southern California to Berlin.
“Unlike California, here I have easily gotten my driver’s license, a local job, live just a couple minutes away from school, and have more opportunities to be open in the community, especially when it comes to my church events. It is a lot more calm and peaceful out here, not to mention how much easier it was to find a house with land, which is something my parents have always wanted and for a great price, since we’re used to living in neighborhood where houses are shoulder to shoulder,” Spence said
Prior to the move from Southern California to Berlin, Spence also underwent a major surgery.
“I had a stomach tumor about 32 centimeters, the size of a watermelon. The doctors thought it was cancer and my family all pretty much thought I was doomed, and they took it out. The next day they looked at it, and it was not cancer. I am still being watched for cancer though,” Spence said.
Her family has watched doctors discover her tumor, and they stood by her side. Spence’s mom, Stephanie Spence, transferred to three different hospitals and stayed the night when Gwyn underwent emergency surgery. This happened in May of 2021. She got the results on May 22 which happens to be Spence’s birthday. After the surgery, Gwyn decided to involve herself with many different activities and multiple jobs, and got into
playing soccer once again, even after knee surgery.
“After my tumor surgery, I thought I wanted to be a pediatric oncologist, which is a kids cancer and tumor doctor, since I realized how gifted I was in the way of helping people. I decided to use my past experiences to help people in similar situations I was in. Now, I just want to be an ER doctor, but the surgery did change what classes I decided to set up for college, and my view of my grades, which pushed me to do better in school so that I can get good scholarships during college,” Spence said.
Stephanie says she is still unsure about Gwyn working two jobs.
“We have mixed feelings about her working two jobs because she’s a senior and we want her to have fun, but she is very determined,” Stephanie said.
Gwyn is determined to keep her life full of activities despite these setbacks by going to college to become an emergency medicine doctor.
“The career I plan to take is an emergency medicine doctor and as of now, I am attending CNA classes. I think right now I’m going to Fox Valley Technical College for two years and then going to Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona to get my bachelor’s degree.
The experience probably affected the path I want to take because in California it’s a lot harder to become a doctor than it is here, and in quite literally any other state,” Gywn said.
Her parents say she has adapted very well to her surroundings.
“I think it is hard to deal with the obstacles thrown at you, but it’s like kind of whatever life throws at
Senior Gywn Spence moved from Southern California to Berlin, and underwent a major surgery. She plans to attend Fox Valley Technical College, and has ambitions to become an emergency medicine doctor.
Photo: Chloaphotosyou and you just have to deal with it. I did have three surgeries on my knee and that was one obstacle and it has been getting better,” Gwyn said.
Her boyfriend Ethan Carter, who graduated from Green Lake High School last year, has been by her side as well.
“She’s self-driven, trustworthy with anything you give her, and responsible. She’s also really smart, and if you give her a book she can read it and tell you anything about it,” Carter said.
All these obstacles were unforeseen by Gwyn and her family, but the thing that has kept her strong and positive throughout is her faith.
“We go to church and that is kind of her inspiration,” Stephanie said.
Years on staff: 3
“I will miss writing and hearing the stories from other people in the school district.”
Favorite Article
“The Students of the Month were fun to create, it was always interesting to learn about other peoples’ perspectives on chosen students.
Years on staff: 3
“I will miss the bond I have built on staff with all of the members and also Ms. Kuehmichel."
Favorite Article
“I really think my article on the referendum was informational for not only me but for community members. I was able to learn about what it was and also tell others what it would do for our school.”
Years on staff: 2
“I will miss the people and the connections we all have with each other.”
Favorite Article
“The senior edition article on Gywn because her story had an impact on me. It shows how someone’s past doesn’t predict how they move on with their life, and I hope readers will get the same impact I did. “
“My favorite memory was getting to show the little kids around a farm at the ‘Ag Day on a Farm,’ and honestly everything I’ve done with the FFA. There is never a dull moment with them.”
-Madisyn Smith
“Being the last person standing in the dodgeball game during the pep rally as the only senior left.”
-Karson Kaufman
“Marching in 90 degree weather for the Homecoming parade, only for it to be really cold and rainy once it came time to play at the football game.”
- Violet Daubner
“My favorite memories are the interactions I’ve had with teachers and how supportive they’ve been.”
- Chaise Falk
“My best memory is all the time I spent learning who my real friends are and who aren’t, and who stuck by my side throughout all of the hard times for all four years and helped me get through it all.”
- Kassandra Pitzrick
Created by AJ Elm“One mistake or failed test isn’t the end of the world. We all have struggles and failures but we have to allow them to happen and learn in order to succeed.”
- Jenna Tuinstra
“Don’t give the teachers a hard time.”
- Angel Torres
“Be involved! It is a lot more fun when you get to experience a variety of different things.”
- Claire Bartol
“Don’t slack on work because it’ll stack up and you won’t be able to finish and you’ll be far behind. Have fun, but get your work done and pass your classes.”
- Juan Carlos Rivera
“Be your own person in high school and always try your best in everything you do.”
- Mataya Raisleger
Multiple seniors sign on to play college sports in and out of state. Emma Boegh is going to UW-Oshkosh for track and field, Walker Goffard is going to Kansas State University for steer wrestling and other events, and Wyatt Hamersma is going to Augustana University in South Dakota for football.
“Oshkosh’s head cross country coach recruited me. He and my current high school coach are close so they communicated a lot about me going there,” Boegh said.
Goffard and Hamersma were also recruited.
“I went to Texas for a rodeo and signed on to Kansas State my first day,” Goffard said.
The seniors spent time getting to know their new teammates and coach.
“I have gone to the school many times on visits with other recruits and have met a ton of players who are going there. We have watched practices and toured the school,” Hamersma said.
Boegh's roommate is also on the cross and track and field teams with her.
“I did an overnight in January where I got to meet some of the team. I also got to meet my roommate who is also on the team. The team is super nice and I look forward to being able to spend more time with them,” Boegh said. “I have met the coach multiple times. I had him show
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me around campus and also have seen him at meets and at the overnight.”
Goffard has met his coach, but has not met his teammates yet. Not only does Goffard have to compete but he also has to maintain a certain GPA to stay on the team. Even though maintaining a certain GPA can be stressful, Goffard says there are things to look forward to.
“I’m looking forward to my future in rodeo and furthering my career,” Goffard said.
Senior Emma Boegh (right) is going to UW-Oshkosh to run track and cross country. Her roommate, Autumn Jacks, is also on both teams with her.
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“Running a 19:50 in cross country and going to state my senior year,” Emma Boegh said.
“Jumping 41’ 11.25” in triple jump,” Dean McAllister said.
“Getting second in state wrestling,” Alivia Davey said.
“Beating Wautoma in basketball in the regional semifinal after being down 16,” Brock Wilde said.
“When everyone dressed in pink for pink out and senior night for volleyball,” Ryleigh Harmsen said.
Created by Greyson BlaauwClaire Bartol
1st Team volleyball senior
All-Defensive Team basketball senior
2nd Team volleyball junior
Emma Boegh
1st Team cross country senior
State Qualifier cross country senior
Honorable Mention 4x400 senior
2nd Team track 800m senior
Honorable Mention 1600m senior
State Qualifier 4x400 freshman
Dashiell Bowden
State qualifier golf junior
Camille Bruce-DeMuri
Honorable Mention volleyball senior 1000 assist volleyball senior
Alex Budde
Honorable Mention 100m hurdles senior
Honorable Mention 4x200 senior
Trevor Clark
2nd Team football senior
1st Team football junior
2nd Team offensive line football junior
Alivia Davey
State runner up wrestling senior
State Qualifier wrestling junior 2nd Team shot put senior
Kate Femali
Honorable Mention 100m and 200m senior
Honorable Mention 4x200 senior
RJ Gropp
Conference Champion trap sophomore and junior
Wyatt Hamersma
1st Team running back football senior
1st Team defensive back football senior
Offensive back of the year senior
All-Defensive Team basketball senior
Receiver of the Year football junior
1st Team baseball junior
Honorable Mention football sophomore
1st Team wide receiver football junior
1st Team defensive back football junior
Jane Hoffman 2nd Team volleyball senior
Honorable Mention basketball senior
Honorable Mention volleyball junior
Honorable Mention basketball junior
All-Defensive Team basketball junior
Honorable Mention volleyball sophomore
Alex Johnson
Honorable Mention basketball senior
State qualifier golf junior and senior 1st Team golf junior 2nd Team golf sophomore
Camden Johnson 2nd Team football senior
Honorable Mention 4x400 senior
Hayden Luedtke
1st Team offensive line football senior
Dean McAllister
Honorable Mention triple jump junior
Honorable Mention 4x400 senior 1st Team triple jump senior
Aaliyah Mosman
Honorable Mention 4x400 senior
Reese Nowicki
Honorable Mention swim freshman
Macey Rilling
Honorable Mention softball sophomore
Molly Shearer
Honorable Mention soccer sophomore
Jacob Warren 2nd Team football senior
Brock Wilde
2nd Team basketball senior
2nd Team baseball junior
2nd Team basketball junior
2nd Team baseball sophomore
Deacon Vang
Honorable Mention 4x400 senior
Created by Jane Hoffman